//------------------------------// // Chapter 3 // Story: The Worth of One // by DouglasTrotter //------------------------------// "I do apologize if my son caused you any trouble, Princess Twilight Sparkle." the pegasus said, bowing to the pony in front of him. "His ingenuity can be quite the nuisance at times." "Please, call me Twilight." The pony said. Her smile faded. "Can we talk?" "I take it Spike told you about things?" Sky Flare said. He placed Soapbox on his back, and then extended his wing. "Please, come inside." Twilight rubbed her right front hoof against her left. As her ears lowered, she bit down on her lip. She said, in a hushed voice, "I'm so, so sorry this happened. The elements of harmony should have done something sooner to stop Tirek. I should have done something sooner." "This isn't your burden to bare, Twilight." Sky Flare said. He lead the small group downstairs towards the dining room. "I'm sad to say what you see started long before Tirek's attack, however, that does not forgive Tirek's actions as he did exacerbate our son's issues and his condition." While the little donkey rested in his room, the sun setting in the distance, the two ponies and dragon munched on some snacks at the dinner table. A clock in the sitting room, adjacent to the dining room, ticked on, it's sound echoing throughout the still house. Ten minutes of awkward silence passed. Spike split the cookie in half, giving the other piece to Twilight. "We should get going." Spike said, prepared to hop down from his chair. "Please, I'd, I'd like to know more." Twilight said. Sky Flare shook his head. "I apologize, but, as said, this isn't your burden to bare, Twilight." Twilight's ears lowered. "Won't you let me try? " "Twilight, it's not our place." Spike said. Sky Flare glanced over the words on the letter his wife had written, for the fifth time. "All I can say for certain is that although Soapbox has always been different, always knowing he was different, Tirek made things worse. We've spoken with a myriad of doctors across Equestria who have left us with only more questions, and so few answers. It breaks our hearts to see him secluded away. If you'll excuse me," Sky Flare escorted Twilight and Spike to the door, "Soapbox needs his rest, and I'd rather not aggravate things by causing undue stress." Twilight, after she gave a nod to the pegasus stallion who escorted her outside, gazed off towards Ponyville. She looked at the house behind her, and then faced the street. "Spike, this isn't right." Stars began to twinkle in the sky, the moon beginning its ascent. Cricket chirps resonated in the still night air. A slight breeze brushed against Twilight's mane. Spike leapt onto Twilight's back. "To tell you the truth, I don't like it either. Before Tirek, things seemed happy. Like Sky Flare said, Soapbox knew he was different, but it never stopped him from enjoying life. He'd read and study like there was no tomorrow. I bet you five bits he read every single book in the library." Spike said. He gazed at the stars, and then looked towards Ponyville. "Things have changed. Sometimes I wonder if they've changed for the better." "I don't know, Spike. Change isn't always pleasant, nor is it welcomed." Twilight said. She looked at her sides before facing the road. "I'll be honest with you. I know I seemed happy, but deep down, it terrified me when I became a princess. I changed in more ways than one. With all of you to help me, I grew to accept it." "And the castle," Spike said, ending with a yawn. "I'm not sure." Twilight said. She pushed on the castle's front door, closing it behind her. The two weary individuals found their way towards the library. "Rarity. Applejack. Pinkie Pie. Fluttershy. Rainbow Dash. Though my friends helped decorate the castle to make it feel like home, there are times where it just doesn't feel like home, despite their help." While the moon neared its apex in the sky, Twilight and Spike sat near the fireplace in the library. Twilight let out a yawn. She struggled to keep her eyes open. "Spike, we should probably hit the sac. Spike?" Twilight said, her ears greeted by the sounds of draconic snoring. "Guess we'll be sleeping in the library tonight. I wonder," Twilight yawned, "if things will. Work out for. Soapbox." "Mom. Dad. Sis!" a voice said. "What's going on?" Twilight said. She stood up. The pony stumbled backwards. "Tirek?!" The Twilight held her hooves up, and then breathed a sigh of relief after the creature passed right through her. She looked off to her side. Though she felt relieved it was a dream, Twilight turned away. "Do not divert your gaze, Twilight Sparkle." Princess Luna said. Twilight watched as a little donkey looked around, calling out in a theater. She reached out a hoof before pulling back. Princess Luna and Twilight watched Tirek tower over Soapbox. "There you are," Tirek said. The monstrous creature reached down. His strong hand latched onto a slender young earth pony. Tirek opened his mouth. He relinquished his grasp, the earth pony, drained of her magic, falling to the ground. "We're done." "Fine." Discord said. Tirek backed up. He snorted. "Foolish little donkey!" Twilight shut her eyes tight, "Please, enough." Princess Luna illuminated her horn, freezing the scene in place. She looked at the pony in front of her. A tear rolled down Twilight's cheek. "That's cruel." "It is cruel, what Tirek did." Princess Luna said. "No, what you did was cruel. There was no need to show me what happened." Twilight said. "It is one thing to hear a story, yet, as you know too well, it's completely different to see it for oneself." Princess Luna said. The princess faced the pony in front of her. She waved her hoof, and the scene shifted. Before she could speak, the princess sighed. The scene shifted back to that of the tree castle library. "As you wish, Twilight Sparkle. I won't show you anymore." "P-Please don't." Twilight said. Princess Luna gazed at the pony in front of her. Her gentle hoof raised Twilight's head. "I am not doing this to be cruel. If you want to help young Soapbox, it is important to understand what torments him." Twilight looked away from Princess Luna. "You mustn't avert your eyes." Princess Luna said. She faced Twilight. The princess materialized a chair for her and Twilight. "To speak about another truth, one I'm not too proud of, Soapbox endured something equally horrible before Tirek's attack." "What more has he endured?" Twilight said. "He was infected by a dream parasite." Princess Luna said. "Dream Parasite?" Twilight said. "These creatures were almost eradicated before my transformation into Nightmare Moon. They are foul entities that feed off the dreams of their hosts. Dream Parasites will drain the host till there is nothing left, leaving the hosts with no dreams to enrich their lives. It's far worse than just dreams when the infection takes hold. These atrocious things, once finished draining the dreams of their host, will feed off their host's emotions until nothing is left. If one is ever infected by a Dream Parasite, they are almost nigh impossible to remove." Princess Luna said. The princess of dreams gazed at the ethereal world that surrounded her. "I blame myself because one lone parasite survived, tucked away in a secluded spot of Equestria. It found a host in young Soapbox." Twilight wiped away a tear. "I do not know the precise moment when the parasite infected young Soapbox, however, because Soapbox endured a trying time, his willpower weakened to the point the creature took a firm hold on him. The incident with Tirek almost solidified its hold. Without his family being there for him, he may have been lost, possibly allowing the creature to give birth to a new abhorrent brood of its kind." Princess Luna said. She gave a resolute nod to the pony in front of her. "It is not all grim, Twilight Sparkle. The parasite was removed, with some assistance. Though I fear the damage has been done, there are the slimmest signs of hope for the little one." "Why are you showing me this? Why are you telling me this?" Twilight said. "As said, it is one thing to hear a story, but it's completely different to see it for oneself." Princess Luna said. She pointed her hoof at Twilight. "Now, more than ever, I am sure young Soapbox is not beyond hope, regardless of what his parent's, his family may fear." "How can I reach somepony that is unreachable?" Twilight said. "I cannot foresee the future. How you help young Soapbox will be a choice you have to make." Princess Luna said. The mare bowed to Twilight. "I must leave. Remember, all it takes is the right key to open the door to a world of possibilities." Twilight closed her eyes, and then opened them. She looked to her left, seeing Spike sleeping by her side. The pony touched a hoof to her cheek, the fireplace's light sparkling in the tear on her hoof. "Soapbox." Twilight said.